Tuesday, March 11, 2008

There is talk of updating the national anthem by removing lesser performed and frankly less than inclusive verses (such as the one about burning the Scots' houses down*), which let's face it, is a bloody good idea! I say, scrap the thing and if we really have to, replace it with something else.

'Cos that's one fucking saved Queen, as Eddie Izzard would say, and if there ever was a turgid, dreary, uninspiring lot of toss, God save the Queen is it.

I vote Land of Hope & Glory. It fits the bill perfectly because it's fabulously well-suited to people starting to go blah-blah-blah-di-blah-blah after the first few lines. It's also quite short. Not to mention that it's nicely stirring and arm-waving sort of stuff.

If not, perhaps Anarchy in the UK.

I'm thoroughly against getting our children to pledge allegiance to the Queen though. Not only for the Eddie Izzard reason but honestly, we're not the 51st state, are we? Surely we get enough guff from the US.** Seems like a completely empty gesture, meaningless.

*Or something like that #raspberry#.**No offence meant, American visitors of loveliness and sense (ahem).

3 comments:

ellie
said...

It's embarrassing for the England team to have to mumble their way through that dirge when other countries have far better anthems (The French and Italians always seem proud to belt theirs out), perhaps they would play better given 'Land of Hope and Glory'.Totally agree about the allegiance oath thing, what century are we in?

Oh, I quite agree with you - it's stupidly archaic and it's time we got something decent. Unfortunately, all the right-wing reactionary idiots in this country will go berserk, and we'll pander to them again, like we always do. Gahh.